Groceries [M-D]

[Lang]

Groceries
Rank: D
Minimum Participants: 1
Mission Info: The aged Mrs. Godo can no longer manage the walk to the local grocer, let alone the task of shopping. She has commissioned the village to do her weekly shopping. Go to her home in the Eastern Zone, collect her money and grocery list, and buy her groceries.
Special: This mission can be repeated indefinitely.

---

There was something to be said about anyone who enjoyed performing D-rank missions without being threatened under pain or death. Either they were a closet masochist of the highest order, or so unbelievably inept that the reigning Mizukage deemed them a potential hazard to their would-be comrades, thus relegating them to wrapping up odd jobs around the village. While neither of the above could be applied to him without a hint of injustice, Rael would be the first to admit that he had no qualms about being assigned the so-called 'leftovers', seeing them as opportunities to establish his credit with the civilian half of Kirigakure, whilst earning some spare pocket ryō. While he could've gathered the other cell members to complete this task, he doubted buying groceries for a senior citizen needed the entire team plus their sensei to be present.

6C...6D...here we go.

As he rapped thrice in quick succession against the closed door, loudly in case the According the mission printout, his first employer would be one 'Mrs. Godo', a retiree whose only real hobby nowadays seemed to be teaching the koto to aspiring musicians. He wasn't going to delve too deeply into her family history, nor that of her spouse, simply on the basis they weren't mentioned in the mission parameters, more or less summarized in one sentence: "Buy her groceries, and don't tick her off". Of course, Rael had no intention of souring a relationship with the first of his clientele. Intent on creating a positive first impression, he managed to produce a rare half-smile as the door slowly wung open, revealing an elderly woman presumably in her late 70s as she leaned upon her cane while glancing down at him and tutting.

"Oh my! Are you lost, dear child?"

Reining in the sudden desire to squash something in near vicinity, the "dear child" nodded and bowed low, hoping it would give his facial muscles time to rearrange themselves from what was no doubt a scowl. Straightening just a second or two later, he checked his voice to make sure it was void of distinct ire.

"Ah, that's not it, ma'am. My name is Rael. You requested for someone at the mission's office to help with buying your groceries?" The woman in question stared blankly, and there was an uncomfortable silence between the two before her eyes widened in obvious surprise and abrupt revelation.

"Silly me! I wasn't expecting someone so young," an eye twitched, "or small for that matter! One moment child." Completely missing the look of thinly-veiled disbelief as she hobbled out of sight behind the door, presumably fetching something in her purse from the sound of it, Mrs. Godo reappeared after a moment, clutching a folded note and a small coin purse that she held out to him. "Here you are my boy. Everything I will be needing is on the list." Taking the proffered items and perusing the former with a quick scan for any possible irregularities, he saw nothing warranting verification and tucked them away in his pouch, lifting his eyes back up to his employer with a smile and a slight nod.

"I'll be back right away with the items you need, Mrs. Godo." Offering another quick bow, the white-haired youth hurried off to the stairwell, hurtling down steps as he reached the first floor and made his way in the direction towards the village marketplace.

[Lang]

White tufts of hair poked over the top of the groceries, and the Genin beneath slowly pushed along his near-empty trolley, teal eyes scanning the overhead signs while occasionally flicking back to the slip of paper in his hand. Passersby either hid their smiles and carried along their business, or stopped momentarily to look around, no doubt searching for the boy's guardians. He managed to ignore them for the most part, aside from wearing a rather grumpy expression on his face while scanning the aisles for what he needed. Thankfully, the overhead signs made it simple to locate just about everything he needed thus far.

Next to him, the refrigerated goods were on display, cold air wafting over and creating a pleasant contrast against his skin. The person next to him had to squat down as they picked up a carton of tofu, checking for an expiry date. Rael followed suite, though he merely had to bend a bit at the waist to reach down; the height discrepancy was a little obvious. Instead of just looking for numbers that would indicate when consuming said contents might lead to undesirable health effects, he popped the circular plastic lid off the container, eyeing the water-saturated cube before taking a cautious whiff, then resisting the urge to sputter as he hurriedly slipped the cover back on and placed the container back to its original spot. Grumbling to himself, the Genin reached towards the very back of the open fridge, plucking out a different one and repeating the previous steps, nodding after two seconds and covering the white container with plastic wrap before placing it in the trolley.

Employees still being lazy and putting new products right at the front; whoever is in charge of stocking should be fired.

Mentally checking another item off, Rael idly rubbed his chin and examined the list once more.

• 1 bag of milk
  
• 1 carton of a dozen eggs
  
• 1 asparagus bundle
  
• 2 leeks
  
• 5 peaches
  
• 2 cartons of chicken broth
  
• 1 block of soft tofu
  
• 1 bag of rice

The only thing left to grab was a large bag of rice, and he remembered seeing that near the checkout line on his way in; convenient, especially since they weren't exactly light for him. The shopping cart rattled in protest as he neared the checkout line, pausing once to grab the final item on Mrs. Godo's list. Though barely thirty pounds, it weighed nearly half as much as him, and took both arms to lift from the pile before dropping it near the front of the trolley. Waiting patiently in line for his turn, as the customer ahead of him finished packing away her own things and left, he gave the cashier a forced smile as she totaled up his purchases.

"That'll come to 390 ryō please." Unzipping the coin purse his employer gave him earlier, the boy deftly counted out the appropriate number of bills and passed them over, inwardly grateful that Mrs. Godo had given him sufficient funds; another 110 ryō more and he would've had to dig out his own share. Muttering his thanks as she reimbursed him the correct change, he grunted once in exertion as he transferred his heaviest burden onto one shoulder, before Rael quickly grabbed the other plastic bags and hurried out.

What took him barely ten minutes to travel earlier, he now spent at least four times longer while lugging the groceries back to his employer's apartment complex. Along the way, he began tallying the number of times someone nearly ran him over, shouting for the white-haired youth to get out of their way or watch where he was going. Several acquaintances he passed along the way grinned at his obvious distress, but simply nodded in assent when he promised to rendezvous with them at a later time.

[Lang]

By the time he managed to haul everything back to Mrs. Godo's residence, having no little trouble clambering up the stairs with everything in tow, the Genin was red-faced and breathing notably harder than usual. Waiting an extra minute outside her suite before schooling his features back into one of normalcy, Rael quickly knocked thrice yet again (aware of the aching in his shoulder), repeating his earliest action before stepping back. An eternity passed before he heard the owner's shuffling footsteps on the other side, even longer before the door was unlocked and the elderly woman poked her head outside, the surprised look on her face suggesting she hadn't quite expected him back so soon.

"I'm back, Mrs. Godo. Would you like me to bring everything in for you?" At her affirmative nod, he entered the complex with some measure of trepidation, paying attention not to accidentally trod on the tail of a tawny-haired feline as it sneaked past his legs. Carefully maneuvering his way over to the kitchen area, he gingerly set everything down, taking items out of the bags one by one for the koto teacher to inspect their condition and voicing her approval. As she placed all the bags within one another to conserve space, Rael removed the ebony coin purse from his side pouch and held it out to the woman with both hands. "Everything came out to 390 ryō, with 110 left over from the 500." Along with the wallet, he handed over her original list, modified with his own additions. Next to each item, the Genin had marked down the price per pound or bundle, ensuring that if she went back within the next few days, she would have a ballpark figure of how much everything cost.

"I have to say, young man, you did a very fine job, simple as it was. Keep up the good work ethic, and I might just specifically ask for you from now on." At this, Rael gave her a genuine smile, inclining his head in a respectful nod for her light praise. Though it was only the start, each approval contributed to his references. Hopefully, Mrs. Godo would spread the word around that the white-haired youth was looking for more work, and he'd begin making a small name for himself.

"In that case, I look forward to seeing you again in the near future, Mrs. Godo." As the Genin bid her farewell and took leave of the complex, he could only imagine what other assignments lay ahead. They were sure to be mundane, but even the greatest shinobi had unsavory beginnings; he counted himself as being lucky.

After all, it could have been worse. My first mission could have been to clean up the Inuzuka kennels.

---

la fin

[Naitome]

+30
+5 Bonus